Checkmate
by appassionatta
Summary: Naruto has never beaten Sasuke at chess. That doesn't stop him from trying, though. Mild humor, fluff.


Naruto glared at the chess board set up in front of him, silently considering his next move.

The tension in the room was intense, almost tangible and it pressed down and suffocated him with its weight. The whole world was still, with only the steady ticking of the wall clock to punctuate the oppressive silence.

A bead of sweat trickled down Naruto's forehead as he hesitantly moved his queen and knocked over his opponent's knight. He looked up to where said opponent was sitting, apparently unfazed by the loss. He watched as the man assumed a thinking position, propping his chin up on his clasped hands. Naruto drummed his fingers nervously on the table. The other person, Uchiha Sasuke, narrowed his eyes, and in dramatic slow motion, reached over to pick up his own queen. Naruto, meanwhile, was preoccupied in formulating his winning strategy.

This was it! He was close, so _very_ close to winning. Sasuke had only a few pieces left. Just one more move and he'd-

"Checkmate."

Wait…what?

"WHAT?!" Naruto shrieked.

"But that's impossible! What the hell? I was so close to winning!"

"Hn. In your dreams. You're not good enough to beat me just yet, loser."

Naruto stuck his tongue out, and Sasuke resisted the urge to roll his eyes at the childish action.

"Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a meeting to attend. See you later." Sasuke stood up, hefted his bag and walked towards the door, leaving an indignant Naruto alone in the room.

* * *

Naruto has never been able to beat Sasuke at chess.

It wasn't like he was stupid. Despite his goofy antics and clueless façade, Naruto was actually quite intelligent.

It was just that Sasuke was a genius. A freaking genius.

That fact had been established a long time ago, even before his whole rivalry with Naruto started. He was a regular overachiever, a consistent straight-A student and valedictorian of their class. He was the type of guy who does homework and studies every night, just for the heck of it.

Aside from that, he was handsome enough to have his own fanclub, and sporty enough to be included in the school's soccer varsity team. He was perfect, to put it simply. Well… except for the fact that he was a broody, stuck-up bastard with a stick the size of Jack's beanstalk lodged up his ass.

Naruto, on the other hand, was a troublesome prankster. While he had no problem with grades, he had a notoriously loud behavior that drove most of his professors insane.

He loved pulling practical jokes on anyone and everyone. He enjoyed being put under the limelight as he practically thrived on attention. He was a package of interestingly contrasting traits—loud, yet sweet; mischievous, yet lovable-- and this, together with the natural charm he exuded, garnered him a lot of affection from everyone.

When the two met in college, sparks flew, and not the romantic kind (no, those would come in much later). Suffice it to say that both boys were thoroughly bruised, battered and beaten up after their first encounter.

After that, they had many more encounters, each one ending up in a competition, though not necessarily a physical one. The people around them were concerned at first, but the two quarreled so frequently that a day without them squabbling would probably mean the apocalypse was near.

Over time, this strange rivalry evolved as both of them came to the realization that they were constantly improving _because _they pushed each other to their limits. Thisled to a new perception of their relationship- a deeper appreciation and understanding of one another.

Unsurprisingly, they became friends. They learned all sorts of things about each other like how Naruto loved playing the cello, or how Sasuke's favorite dish was penne in tomato sauce. The enmity that once existed between them dissolved completely, leaving behind only a pleasant familiarity and brotherly (*cough_romantic_cough*) love.

Sure, they'd still have their usual fights. Sometimes Sasuke'd win, and sometimes Naruto would. But in spite of all their bickering, there was an underlying gravitational force that drew one to the other.

There was, however, a fly in the ointment in this pretty picture, from Naruto's perspective.

In all of their random skirmishes, Naruto had never beaten Sasuke at chess, no matter how hard he tried. He had lost 9 times in a row already, but Naruto, being the persistent guy that he is, would not give up. And so began his current obsession with beating Sasuke in chess.

* * *

"Oi bastard! Stop cheating!" Naruto shouted. He had only half of his original army left while Sasuke had about three-fourths.

"How could one possibly cheat in a chess game, Naruto?"

Sasuke moved his knight and took away Naruto's rook.

"Check."

"See? Just like that! "

Sasuke threw an exasperated look at the loud blond and continued to devise his next course of action. Naruto furrowed his eyebrows in frustration, looking as if he was presented with the problem of solving world hunger.

He tentatively reaches out and places a bishop diagonally across Sasuke's king.

"Check."

"…"

"… "

"…"

"Sasuke?" Sasuke sat as still as a statue. Naruto was beginning to get worried and he wondered if his best friend spontaneously fell into a state of catatonia.

"…"

Sasuke remained stock-still as the situation slowly dawned on him. The loser actually defeated him! Defeated Sasuke, the insurmountable chess champion! How could this have happened? '_How?!'_, his inner drama queen lamented.

"Sasukeeee?"

"I… lost."

Huh?

"Eh, what? WHAT?!" Naruto asked in disbelief.

He leaned forward, his eyes bulging from their sockets, to take a better look at the chess board and make sure he wasn't hallucinating. He rubbed his eyes just for good measure, too.

He'd done it! _Finally_! Granted it wasn't quite the achievement he expected, since Sasuke himself admitted to losing, but still, he won! Against Sasuke, the formerly unconquerable chess genius!

As a celebration of his first victory against Sasuke, Naruto did a little victory dance to the tune of Michael Jackson's 'Thriller'. After a good five minutes of wild dancing and smug self-congratulating, he plopped down on his chair.

Sasuke was frowning, a bit miffed at his first loss. Naruto found it adorable.

"Aww, are you upset that I beat you at your own game?"

"Shut up."

"Aw, lighten up, Sasuke! C'mon, it's only a game!"

Sasuke responded with a particularly fearsome glare. Naruto, undaunted by the Uchiha's attempt to scare him away, grinned and, thinking it would cheer Sasuke up, did something he was meaning to do for a few weeks now.

He grabbed Sasuke by the collar and yanked him forward. Sasuke stumbled, knocking the chess pieces over in an effort to keep from falling. All of a sudden, he felt Naruto's lips press firmly against his and he tensed up. Naruto faltered, thinking Sasuke was uncomfortable with his impromptu decision to kiss him for the first time. Sasuke bringing his hands up to deepen the kiss told him otherwise.

Both were left panting and breathless as they came up for air.

"Huh...So this is what victory tastes like." Naruto smiled brightly, his lips still tingling from the contact.

Sasuke blushes, embarrassed, and turns around to leave when he feels Naruto's arms wrap around his waist. Naruto chuckles affectionately before proceeding to kiss the living daylights out of him. He idly decides that he should let Naruto win more often...

"By the way, you're cleaning up this mess." Sasuke points at the scattered chess pieces on the floor.

… because with this completely new, but totally welcome change in their relationship…

"WHAT. WHAT THE HELL BASTARD, YOU DO IT!"

… he thinks losing may not be so bad after all.

**A/N: **Yay, second fic! The ending seems so abrupt, and I digressed in some parts, but I hope you like it! Apparently, lack of sleep makes me want to write. Reviews are very much appreciated :D


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